Thursday, May 22, 2008

Don't you just hate it when real life gets in way of your blogging? This past week has been very hectic and busy...I have barely had a chance to read a few blogs here and there let alone do something for my own.

Last weekend, my sister graduated from college. I met my family in Boston for a long weekend of eating, drinking, and some more eating. It was a really fun weekend but when I got back late Monday evening, I was exhausted and sick of eating so many large meals. I decided to take a couple more days off. Tonight, I finally found my desire to cook again and just in time for the event Taste and Create IV. This month I was paired with Veronica of La Recette du Jour. My job was to look over this beautiful blog, pick some recipes to try and report back. After much reading and deliberating, I decided upon two...the Rocket Mousselines and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

When I was living in Rome, my friends and I would see Rocket on the menu but, showing our American ignorance, had no idea what it was. Eventually, we ordered some pizza with Rocket and discovered that Rocket is Arugula!

I really liked this recipe because it seemed like a perfect light dinner. I struggled a little bit with converting the gram measurements (I really do need to invest in a scale) but I think it turned out great. Also, I halved the recipe and it made two ramekins. I took Veronica's suggestion pairing it with a salad and drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette. Delicious! Exactly what I was craving!Check out La Racette du Jour's recipe for Rocket Mousselines

1. Preheat the oven to 320 F.2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and have ready a bowl of iced water.3. Throw the rocket into the boiling water, blanch for 30 seconds, drain, and immediately tip into the bowl of iced water.4. Food process the eggs, cream, and cheese with the seasonings.5. Squeeze out the rocket, add to the liquidizer with the basil and parmesan, and mix again.6. Pour the mixture into buttered muffin tins or ramekins and bake for 25-30 minutes until set. 7. Turn out onto plates and serve warm.

Nice! Mousselines, how posh! :D I urge you to get the scale. After you've converted all your recipes to metric you will not want to do it the "American" way again! (Admittedly, that's how I used to do it when I was starting out baking... Waste of time!)

A Definition

[Gin-knee] n. a food lover and cook, often found making a mess in the kitchen and covered in flour, enjoys feeding her friends and family, tries her hand at writing about and photographing her culinary adventures